


the sugar you can’t eat

by bellonaz



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Altars, Day of the Dead, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, POV Outsider, odd behavior, written by a mexican author!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 08:22:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12602380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellonaz/pseuds/bellonaz
Summary: It’s a bag of normal granulated sugar, the kind anyone can buy from a normal corner store. “You’re not going to eat that, right? You’re hyperactive enough, my dude,” Connor says, stepping closer to inspect the sugar. Leo looks down at his hands, before shifting the bag of sugar into one hand and shooting Connor finger guns.“Don’t worry about it,” Leo says, finger guns still active. “This sugar isn’t for eating, it’s for building.”Leo’s been acting a little bit weird lately, collecting, making, and requesting odd things. But Leo’s always been a bit weird anyway.





	the sugar you can’t eat

**Author's Note:**

> ohoho i love leo more than life itself.
> 
> ok so!!! a lot of this is based on my own experience w/ ddlm and some soft research i did online. don't take my descriptions of stuff as 100%!!!

It starts in October. It, being Leo’s… odd buying habits. The October after everything, with the Triumvirate probably somewhere in the Fields of Punishment because gods really don’t like being copied. They’re touchy about that kind of stuff.

A bunch of older campers came to celebrate Halloween. Piper and Jason came back from California, Leo’s visiting from the Waystation (he has been since September), and if the rumors are true, Annabeth, Percy, Frank, and Hazel will be visiting from Camp Jupiter because the Seven in one place these days is pretty rare.

Regardless, this kind of stuff is an omen at this point. Good luck, considering everything these kids have done. _Kids,_ as if Connor literally isn’t their age.

But, Leo’s buying habits _have_ always been weird. Connor vaguely remembers Leo investing way too much money in an incredibly specific cleaning brand. This isn’t too new.

“Hey, Leo, what’s that?” Connor calls, pointing at the bag in Leo’s hands. It’s a bag of normal granulated sugar, the kind anyone can buy from a normal corner store. “You’re not going to _eat_ that, right? You’re hyperactive enough, my dude,” Connor says, stepping closer to inspect the sugar. Leo looks down at his hands, before shifting the bag of sugar into one hand and shooting Connor finger guns.

“Don’t worry about it,” Leo says, finger guns still active. “This sugar isn’t for eating, it’s for building.”

Connor blinks. “...Right. Anyway, hit me up with some sugar later! I need to get back at Julia for mixing in pepper seeds with my detergent—”

“—Can’t,” Leo cuts Connor off, shifting the sugar back into two hands and looking a little sheepish. “Like I said, this sugar is for _building._ Not eating, not pranking— _building.”_

Hephaestus kids really are obsessive, Connor thinks. “What are you building, then?” Connor asks curiously. The question makes Leo freeze, before moving the sugar into one hand _again_ and shrugging.

“Secret project,” Leo says playfully, pressing a finger to his lips. There’s something weird about it though. What could he possibly be keeping a secret from, and why is _sugar_ involved? Regardless, with that, he walks away; presumably to _build_ with sugar.

Connor’s just lost—what can someone _build_ with sugar?

“Oh!” Leo runs back, and the _damn bag of sugar_ is still bothering the crap out of Connor. “Dude, do you have incense by any chance?”

Incense? “I know we steal a bunch of stuff,” Connor starts. “But I don’t think incense falls under _stealworthy,_ you know?”

The look in Leo’s eyes says otherwise, but Connor digresses. He hefts the bag of sugar into his hands comfortably. “Yeah, totally. Thanks anyway. See you later, man!”

 

The cabin is spotless. Thank gods for that, because lately, Piper’s been stretched to the bone trying to keep the floors clean. Makeup is _hard_ to wash off. Lacy and Mitchell are both darlings though, and managed to haggle with kids from the Hermes cabin for cleaning supplies. _How_ the Hermes cabin exactly _got_ cleaning supplies is a very different question that Piper’s not sure she wants an answer for. She knows  those cabins are always a mess. Why hoard cleaning supplies if you’re never going to use them?

A knock on the cabin door confuses her. It’s a _cabin,_ her siblings can just walk in whenever they want.

Of course, unless it’s not one of her siblings. She opens the door—and it’s Leo freakin’ Valdez; in the flesh. Why _he_ knocked is another question—Leo’s practically her sibling anyway. “‘Sup,” Piper greets, pushing the doorway so Leo can come inside.

“Hi, Pipes,” Leo says, running a hand through his hair like he does when he has too much excess energy. “Just a question, but do you have any bright red lipstick I can borrow?”

_What?_ “Um…” Piper’s head blanks. “What do you need it for?”

Leo gestures wildly. “I can ask the Iris cabin for some paint if you don’t have any lipstick to spare, it’s chill—”

“No!” Piper gesticulates awkwardly, grabbing some of the spare makeup her cabin hoards like animals and handing it to Leo. “Uh, of course we have spare lipsticks. We probably have _too many_ lipsticks, but it’s okay. They’ll probably never go to waste. Are you gonna give yourself a makeover?”

The question makes Leo chuckle. “Something like that. I’ll give it back tomorrow!”

When Leo leaves, lipstick in hand, Piper just shrugs. He’s not one for explanations unless he’s unveiling something, and it seems like something is going to be unveiled very soon. She can wait.

 

It’s _supposed_ to be a peaceful morning.

“The four elements, the four elements…”

The three words are being repeated like a prayer throughout the camp. “Wait, Nico!”

It’s an incredibly familiar voice. The same voice Nico kept in his pocket for _months,_ something he’d listen to when he wanted to get angry. Now, the voice both fills him with exasperation _and_ makes him feel dry and tired. Nico has to admit, though, he’s kind of fond of it.

“What do you want, Leo?” Nico asks wearily. It’s something of an art, to have a conversation with Leo Valdez. A talent, to keep him interested in it.

Leo looks skittish, his fingers tapping his thigh almost ten times a second. On second thought, it looks more like twenty when Leo eventually opens his mouth to speak again. “Do you know where I can get my hands on incense? I already asked Connor, but if _he_ doesn’t have any then I’m most definitely screwed and _not_ in the good way—”

“Why are you asking _me_ if I have incense?” Nico scowls. “I know I have this whole… emo aesthetic, but I don’t carry around spare incense—” Leo brightens up at that, and Nico realizes the mistake he made. “Or _any_ incense, or sage, or any of those witchy things.” He states, crossing his arms.

Leo slumps over, defeated, and Nico can _feel_ the desperation rolling off of his shoulders.

Nico gives in. He sighs, rubbing at his tired eyes. “Why don’t you ask someone from the Hecate cabin? They’re the ones with all the magical shenanigans.”

And just like that, Leo lights up. He’s like the star atop a Christmas tree, waiting to be plugged in before it can truly shine. “Thanks, dude! I owe you one!”

Nico wilts. “Yeah, you owe me many ones. Maybe twos.”

All Leo does in response is shoot him a pair of finger guns.

As _fond_ as Nico may be of Leo after everything they’ve both been through, Leo’s general disposition is still enough to make him feel tired all over again. “Yeah, yeah,” Nico grumbles, waving Leo off before stuffing his hands into his aviator jacket.

There’s something… _off_ about Leo. The probability of death hasn’t changed, but there’s something _about_ the way death surrounds Leo. It seems… welcoming. Not as if Leo welcomes the idea of death (gods know he does) but… it’s something different. As if he’s welcoming those dead around him.

Whatever. Leo’s weird anyway.

 

The last thing Billie’s expecting when she’s pruning the flowers on her cabin’s roof is to hear _Leo Valdez_ of all people shout her name. She almost falls off, but she doesn’t, thankfully. She carefully sets her tools down, and jumps off the roof, landing a few feet shy of where Leo’s standing. She pats the dirt off of her shorts, and looks evenly at Leo.

“Yes?”

“Billie, darling!” Leo starts, batting his eyelashes innocently. “You Demeter kids have plant powers, right? Like… if I asked you to grow me sunflowers within the next few days, it could happen?”

It’s a question Billie doesn’t expect, but one easy enough to answer. She blinks a few times, comprehending what Leo just said. “Theoretically,” she tries. “Theoretically, yes. Why do you need sunflowers?”

Leo winks. “I don’t need sunflowers, doll. But I _do_ need marigolds. They’re for a special project. I can’t stay specifics—that’d be a tad bit disrespectful, but I can promise I’m not going to maul the flowers. ‘Cause, you know, that’d _also_ be a tad bit disrespectful. I’m all about respecting stuff,” Leo says in a rush, fingers wringing together and tapping against each other.

Billie nurses some water, before smacking her lips together, the pop sound pleasant on her ears. “Get me a new pair of gardening gloves, and you got yourself a deal.”

“Yes!” Leo cries, pumping his fist victoriously. “Billie, you’re a _lifesaver._ I’ll pop over to the Hermes cabin, and if not I’ll come on by tomorrow with a pair.”

He dances off, muttering under his breath about _pictures_ and _food_ and Billie’s kind of confused but hey, it’s Leo Valdez. He’s not known for being normal. Even among other demigods, he kind of… sticks out. It’s kind of endearing—Billie can understand why the rest of the Seven hold on to Leo very closely. He’s like everyone’s wayward sibling.

She’s soft for him. She thinks the whole _camp_ is soft for him. Even if they did all punch them when he came back, but that’s not important.

So, Billie gets some enchanted seeds and gets planting.

“Do you think he’s planning something for Halloween?” Miranda asks, picking up where Billie left off and pruning the flowers. Billie shrugs, contemplative.

“I dunno, Miri,” Billie frowns. “Why would you need _marigolds_ for Halloween?”

 

It’s a peaceful scene. The sun is setting, its colors splashing all over the sky. Hazel _loves_ watching the sunset. It’s not like the one on Camp Jupiter, but this one feels… more _sincere,_ if that even makes sense. Hazel doesn’t like to rationalize her emotions with words. She rather do it on paper with a paintbrush in hand. Like she is right now.

“Hazel!”

She snaps her head upward, and feels a warm smile dance on her lips when Leo runs to get closer. “Hazel, doll,” Leo pants, hands on knees as he breathes harshly. “You know how you drew me that _lovely_ drawing of Calypso back when we were on the _Argo II?”_

The memory is one Hazel keeps in her heart; and the drawing itself is one of her all time favorites. “Yeah,” she says to the lake. “Why?”

Leo straightens his back. Funnyman Leo is gone. “Do…” he hesitates. “Do you think you could do it again? N-Not of Calypso, but… of someone else. I need a picture of her, but I don’t have any, and she’s, um, _gone.”_

Hazel sits up, turning to meet eyes with Leo. “...Who?”

His adam apple shifts. Leo looks at Hazel uneasily, before swallowing and clenching his fists. “My mom.”

Gold eyes meet brown ones, and Hazel smiles sadly. She turns the page of her sketchbook, and sets down the brush and picks up her pencil. “Tell me what she looked like.”

Leo sits down next to her, and pulls his knees to his chest, resting his head on them. Leo has always looked young, but now he looks… younger. Rawer. He looks like he’s a child—and something strikes in Hazel’s chest.

They _are_ children.

They’re all children. They’re all war heroes.

There’s something inherently wrong about that.

Hazel listens as Leo talks, as he describes his mother and _oh,_ Hazel’s heart feels so soft. Her hand moves as he talks, moves when he corrects her and moves when she twirls her pencil to erase, and she feels her heart clench. It’s aching. She _aches_ for Leo, for his sadness and her desire to make him feel _better._

When she finishes, Leo’s hand is on fire because it’s too dark outside for Hazel to see without it. The sun had set _hours_ ago, and yet here they are, the harpies no doubt going to be ecstatic they have some potential grub before morning.

“Is this good?” Hazel asks softly, handing the sketchbook to him.

Leo takes the book with shaky hands. “It looks just like her,” he whispers, pressing the book of paper against his chest, as if he were hugging it. When he looks back at Hazel, she swears his eyes are _sparkling._ “Hazel, thank you so much.”

Hazel blinks, and she’s being hugged, and this is it.

“You’re welcome,” she says gently. “Leo, what did you need that for?”

Leo’s freezes. She can’t see his face; it’s still tucked onto her shoulder in a hug. “I-It’s a special project. Nothing bad, I promise.”

Hazel smiles. “Okay. I trust you.”

 

When Halloween comes upon camp, Leo’s nowhere to be seen.

 

They see him two days after Halloween. He has a small pot in his hands, steam coming out of it steadily as Leo makes his way towards Bunker Nine.

“Come on,” Piper urges. “Let’s follow him.”

“Why, though?” Percy asks, tilting his head to the side. “Isn’t Leo just tinkering like usual?”

Nico shakes his head. “I don’t think so. He’s been doing this ‘special project’ for like, two weeks now, but no one knows what it is. All we know is that he bought some wood, a five dollar picture frame, a bag of granulated sugar, this thing called _meringue powder—_ I’m kind of scared to know what he’s doing. He asked me for incense. Why does he need incense—” Nico cuts himself off. “The point is, we’re kind of worried.”

And so, Nico along with the rest of the Seven make their own way to Bunker Nine, careful not to alert Leo of their presence. They make it to the entrance, and watch as Leo hurries around the Bunker, adjusting things.

“I doubt it’s anything big,” Annabeth whispers. “Leo would tell us, probably and…”

Leo lights a candle and a stick of incense with his finger, and moves a curtain covering something tall and from what Nico can tell, colorful. He sets a rock on the same thing, and moves to fill a glass with water before putting it on the wooden thing as well. He moves the creation to the mouth of the bunker’s opening, allowing his hoard of friends to see it head on. Leo carefully removes the curtain obscuring his creation from view.

There’s a tall base, and it’s painted a bright red. However, the base isn’t what catches Nico’s eye.

It’s what’s _on top_ of it.

An assortment of colorful tablecloths pile upon the top of the base, and on those tablecloths sit two pots of marigolds, each on both sides of a three-tiered wooden creation, decorated with bright paints and more colorful tablecloths. In-between the marigolds on the bottom tier, the glass of water, rock, candle, and incense sit idly. Water, earth, fire, air. _The four elements._ In-between the four elements, a little statuette that Nico recognizes as the Virgin Mary is propped onto the altar, and next to that, a messily made cross.

On the second tier seems to be the food tier. In-between another pair of marigolds, a steaming plate of something wrapped in what looks like a yellow leaf sits, and next to it is a cup of a soft drink, both untouched. There’s a little cup with salt in it next to the leaf thing is, and next to the cup of salt, there’s a bowl of golden apples and mandarins. There’s a single bun covered in lots of powder resting on a bright yellow napkin, and Nico vaguely recalls Leo baking something hurriedly late last night and mumbling _‘pan de muerte’_ under his breath.

On the top tier, a picture frame surrounded by skulls adorned in colorful paints. Below the picture frame, a miniature toolbox sits, opened to show off all the tools. The entire thing looks… It looks like something someone would worship. It looks like…

“It’s an altar,” someone cuts Nico’s thoughts off. Everyone looks up in alarm—and it’s Nyssa.

Leo’s sister.

“Don’t you know what today is?” She asks, leaning back against the wall of the bunker.

Frank raises his hand. “Uh… Thursday?”

Nyssa shakes her head. “Today’s Day of the Dead. It’s a Mexican holiday where you celebrate the people in your life that have died. That’s an altar, and Leo’s celebrating someone. It’s his ‘secret project.’”

Everyone watches Leo, silent. He hasn’t noticed them yet—if Nico had to guess, Leo was hyperfixating on the altar too much to even hear them speak.

“What is he doing?” Percy whispers. Nyssa shushes him quickly, making shooing motions before she hears Leo begin to speak.

_“Hola, mami,”_ Leo says to the altar. His voice cracks a little. _“Hace mucho rato que no hablo contigo, eh? Lo siento si mi español no está buena, hace mucho rato que practicó,”_ he laughs a little, rubbing the back of his neck. He sounds a little sheepish, too. Nico can’t see his face. _“Tú sabes como es; yo soy un héroe! Tengo cosas que hacer, lugares donde ir, personas a ver…”_ His voice cracks again. _“...Te extraño. No creo que hay algún día cuando_ no _te extraño. Mami—”_

Leo’s shoulders start shaking. _“M-Mami, te amo muchisimo.”_

Something _magical_ appears before Nico’s eyes. Leo’s monologue in Spanish seemed to cause something, because a blur of gray bubbles up around the altar. It’s a woman, with thick dark hair and pointy ears and from what Nico can see, eyes that gleam with pride. It’s familiar. It’s—

“Oh Hades,” Nico breathes. “It’s his mom.”

_“Mi’jo,”_ The ghost whispers. “Don’t cry.”

Nico’s not sure how this is happening, because the dead can’t leave the Underworld, but it is, and that’s what matters. Leo’s mother has been called from the grave and it’s because of a cultural holiday and an altar decorated with bright golden flowers, uneaten food, and sugar skulls. He stares at her, gaping. This isn’t what Nico had in mind when word of Leo’s _secret project_ started coming around.

Apparently, he’s been gaping for too long. The ghost of Leo’s mother turns to Nico. “You can see me,” she states. Nico nods slowly.

She smiles. “Take care of Leo for me. He’s a lot sadder than he lets on.” Her hand moves to touch Leo’s curls. They pass through it like a mirage, but she looks happy all the same. “I’m happy he knows it’s not his fault. It never was.”

The ghost inspects the altar. “Oh…?” She floats over the top tier, and covers her mouth. “He got a picture…”

Another smile, and a tear trails down the ghost’s face. “Oh, Leo,” she whispers. “You’re a good son. And you,” she turns back to Nico. “Tell him _Esperanza is waiting,_ alright? I’m going now. I just need to do a little something to the soda…” she laughs when she touches the glass, the contact making the soda go flat. _“Adios, mi’jo.”_

And with that, the ghost of Esperanza Valdez shimmers into nothingness.

“That’s so…” Jason trails off, eyes still wide and staring at the colorful altar.

“Touching,” Frank sniffles into the crook of his elbow. They’re touched, and they didn’t even see Esperanza.

Silence piles onto everyone. “Leo!” Nyssa calls, breaking the silence with a smirk. Leo jumps, wiping at tears and eyes widening in fear when he sees everyone behind him. “C’mon, you know _Día de los Muertos_ isn’t about _moping._ It’s about celebration! Happiness, dancing, and all that jazz.”

Nyssa walks forward and sets a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “She’s okay.”

Leo’s eyes water over again. “Y-Yeah,” he murmurs, wiping at his eyes.

“Leo,” Piper says unsurely, as if uncomfortable with ruining the moment before her resolve breaks and; “Why did you need lipstick?”

The question startles Leo, but he cracks a smile. “I drew the lips for the sugar skulls with the lipstick. I don’t know why I used lipstick. I just wanted to, I guess.”

“What’s meringue powder?” Nico demands. Leo blinks, before laughing loudly. It’s a nice sound.

“You need meringue powder if you want sugar skulls, duh,” Leo says. “Without the powder, sugar skulls wouldn’t be able to be all stiff and stuff.”

“And the marigolds?” Annabeth inspects the altar without touching anything.

Leo shrugs. “They’re the flowers of the dead. They guide them—the dead, I mean—to the altars, and that’s how they eat their food or whatever. It’s all in the folklore and tradition.”

Hazel rushes forward, hugging Leo tightly. “We could’ve helped you make this,” she whispers fiercely. “You didn’t have to do it by yourself.”

A snort comes out of Leo’s throat. “She’s _my_ mom, y’all,” he laughs. Then, his face softens. “I’m okay.”

Jason ruffles Leo’s hair. “We know.”

(The day ends with Percy learning you _can’t_ eat sugar skulls, Leo framing up the drawing of his mother, and Nico telling Leo what his mother said.)

((The day _truly_ ends when Leo starts bawling, because _hope is waiting.))_

 

**Author's Note:**

> translation fr the spanish paragraph:  
> "hi, mom" leo says to the altar. his voice cracks a little. "it's been a long time since i've talked to you, huh? sorry if my spanish isn't that good, it's been a while since i've practiced," he laughs a little, rubbing the back of his neck. he sounds a little sheepish, too. nico can't see his face. "you know how it is; i'm a hero! i got things to do, places to go, people to see..." his voice cracks again. "...i miss you. i don't think a day goes by when i don't miss you. mom—"
> 
> leo's shoulders start shaking. "m-mom, i love you so much."
> 
> notes!!!!  
> \- esperanza means hope in spanish  
> \- in spanish, specifically in latin america spanish, there are two terms for love!! platonic, average, or new love is "te quiero," but deeper, profound love is "te amo." hence why leo uses "te amo" to his mom.  
> \- i'm assuming nyssa is also latina (not necessarily mexican, just latina) due to her talking to leo in spanish in the hidden oracle  
> \- i'm also assuming leo is mexican because i can  
> \- [this here post](https://solarcraters.tumblr.com/post/167035524319/can-i-celebrate-day-of-the-dead) explains ddlm in a bit more depth than here, because this IS an outsider's pov fic.  
> \- regardless of leo's actual religion, a ddlm altar usually has catholic elements in it due to the virgin maría being mexico's Big Symbol and mexico itself being a majorly catholic country.  
> \- aside from incense, there's also papél picado that can represent air. papél picado is kinda like paper snowflakes (it directly translates to something like "poked paper")
> 
> thank u so much for reading!!! expect more pjo content from me!!! <3


End file.
